Swirl and sip

Whether you’re an oenophile, a Hokie fan or just looking for fun, the Central Virginia Wine Festival is the place to be.

The annual event will be held May 12 at the SnagAJob Pavilion at Innsbrook.

“It’s a fantastic, fun atmosphere,” said Michael Eck, founder and chairman of the event.

This year’s event will showcase 15 wineries from around the Commonwealth, feature live music, food and arts and crafts vendors. And, of course, there will be plenty of Virginia wine (and also beer).

The event benefits the Virginia Tech Alumni Association - Richmond Chapter. “This is our only fundraiser of the year,” said Eck. “It supports scholarships for Richmond area Virginia Tech students.” The festival raises $15,000 to $30,000.

Many of the 14,000 area Hokie alumni will attend, but admission certainly isn’t limited to them, said Eck, a 1998 graduate. “We get a broad group of people.”

Are U.Va. fans welcome?

“Of course,” he said. “Anybody – as long as they’re not wearing West Virginia University gear. No, on second thought, we’d love to have them, too.”

The first festival was founded in 2005. Its most successful year, not surprisingly, was 2007, in the wake of the shootings at Tech. Organizers have moved the event up from June to have cooler weather.

And though there’s plenty of excellent wine to taste, Eck stressed that there also is beer available, as well as non-alcoholic beverages and a family-friendly atmosphere.

“We’ve been there every year since the beginning and it’s one of our favorite festivals of the year,” said Max Abrams, a co-owner of Grayhaven Winery. “It’s a lot of fun for us – and we have some Hokies in the family.”

Musical entertainment includes The Escorts from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m., 44 Diesel from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. and Big Enough from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

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